A Legend
by CaeraLena2
Summary: This is a legend. The Legend of Zelda. A bunch of kinda poetic short drabbles about various moments in 4 of my fav Zelda games: SS, WW, LoZ (original), and BotW, mostly starring Link and Zelda. Some spoilers for all the games. (Originally posted on Ao3)
1. Skyward Sword

_This is a legend._

"Link? Liiiink??? Wake up, Sleepyhead!"

 _A legend of friendship._

Five-year old Zelda appears at Link's bedside, shaking him awake.

With one large pull, they both fall to the ground.

Zelda giggles, watching Link's face contort into something that resembled pain. His eyes slowly flick open.

"...Zeld? What're ya doin' here?"

"I'm here to wake you up! We don't have classes, so it's time to explore!"

"...I don't wanna explore...I wanna sleep..."

 _A legend of curiosity._

Eight-year old Zelda lazily glides through the sky on her loftwing, looking curiously at the thick clouds below her.

Streaks of crimson stream through the sky as Link flies around carelessly.

Zelda however, is focused on one thing: the surface.

"I wanna see what's down there..." She mumbles to herself, "if it's really just barren...or maybe it's full of amazing things that we'd never see on Skyloft!" Her blue eyes grow wide at all the possibilities.

"I'm gonna see what's down there someday...I just know it!"

 _A legend of secrets._

"Link?" Twelve-year old Zelda calls.

"Mhm?" Link lazily responds, too caught up in his daydreaming to really care.

"Do you ever wonder...what's below the clouds?" She asks tentatively.

He snaps to reality immediately.

"Zeld, you can't be thinking about-"

"N-no...I just...I just was wondering."

"Okaaaay...I guess I do sometimes...but Zelda, you can't go down there! You know that! You've been told over and over, so why do you keep thinking about it?"

"I...I just feel...trapped. I feel like I'm missing out on so much, being cooped up here. I'm bored, of all the sights, and all the sounds...and all the places...and the people...I just want something...new."

"Zeld," Link begins, straightening up and turning to face her, "promise me you won't do anything risky to get down there. Please? You're worth more than the surface." He says, blushing a little at the last comment.

"..." The girl stays silent.

"Zelda." He looks stern, about the sternest she's ever seen him look.

"...fine." She says, not sure if she truly means it.

"Ok. Good." The boy lays back down in the grass and resumes his daydreaming.

Only she knows that she's going to see the surface someday, whether she has to do something dangerous or not.

 _A legend of protectiveness._

Groose lumbers up to Link, smirk slowly growing on his face.

"What're you doin' punk? Tryin' to look cool so Zelda'll like you? Well here's the news: she doesn't! And she won't no matter what you do, cause you're a sorry little kid who doesn't know how to take care of himself! You cling to her like a little puppy, and she's just too nice to kick you away! You can't do-" he trails off mid-sentence, eyes widening at something behind Link. Link doesn't even have to look behind him to know who it is.

"Groose," she says sternly, "are you berating Link again?" The fourteen-year old girl is now taller than Link, having experienced a growth spurt, and she has quite the commanding aura to complement.

"Uh, um, Zelda. Zelda, um...I was just...talkin' with my buddy! Yeah! Talkin'! Isn't that right, Link!" Groose slowly backed away, then took off in a full sprint.

Zelda sighed, then turned back to Link. Her face changed from stern to caring.

"You're not hurt, are you?" She asks, scanning every inch of him for some sign of hurt.

"N-no..." He stammers.

"If he ever does anything to you...I'll just...ARGH! WHY CAN'T HE JUST LEAVE YOU ALONE?!" Zelda's face contorts with anger, and she throws herself towards Link, capturing him in a hug.

"You need to learn to stand up for yourself, Link..." She mumbles into his shoulder, sounding like she's about to cry, "What's gonna happen when you need help and I'm not here, huh? Are you just gonna let everyone walk all over you?! ARE YOU?!" Now she really does start to cry.

"Zeld..."

"Don't you dare do that. Don't you dare get hurt-YOU IDIOT!"

"Zeld...I promise. I'll get stronger. I'll get better, and I won't let anyone walk on me. If only to make you happy, I'll do it."

"Thank you...I just...thank you." She pulls herself from his shoulder, then very nearly scurries away, wiping her eyes frantically."

 _A legend of excitement._

She watched the wing ceremony nervously, hoping beyond hope that Link will come through. He's the fastest flier she knows...and yet he can be so careless...

All her worries are shattered when she sees him. He has the bird, he caught it, he won, he won!!!

All reasonable thinking is thrown out the window as she jumps off of Skyloft, not even bothering to call her loftwing. All that comes out of her mouth is his name.

"LIIIIIIINK!!!"

He catches her.

"Zeld? Zelda, are you..." He asks in a worried tone.

"Don't worry, I'm fine!" She sings, like she didn't just do something completely insane. "Great flying, Link! Congratulations!!!" As she leans toward his face, he leans back, cheeks flushing red.

"Now, we'd better get on with the ceremony!" She giggles.

She's so ridiculously excited, and she has no idea why.

 _A legend of separation._

"Zeldaaaaa!!! ZELDA!!!" He calls, throat scratchy and hoarse.

He hears her screams, her tortured screams, and sees her face, contorted in fear.

Then it's all black.

When he wakes up, she's gone.

Her father stands next to his bed, expression worried and terrified.

Zelda's gone.

She wakes up in a strange world, like nothing she's ever seen before.

The surface. It's the surface.

That's all she has time to process before an old woman approaches her.

"You've arrived."

"You've been expecting me?" She asks.

"Yes. For many years. Come."

"A-alright..." She whispers.

She's scared and alone.

Slowly she realizes why she isn't ecstatic to be on the surface.

In all her dreams of the surface...never once did she imagine seeing it...without Link.

 _A legend of promises._

He had found her. He had found Zelda. Yet, as she was talking, he found something was wrong.

She was the goddess' reincarnate...he, the chosen hero, they were together...so why would she not smile???

He received his answer, and suddenly wished he hadn't.

"It's impossible to know the true reason why the gods created the Triforce. But I have a theory of my own. The gods created the Triforce, yet they specifically designed it so that their own kind could never use its power. Somehow, I think that may have been their way of giving hope to all the mortal beings of the land. Which brings us back to you. To face Demise and give the land hope, the goddess, Hylia, needed someone with an unbreakable spirit. That someone is you, Link."

She pauses.

"But spirit alone wasn't enough. You had to overcome many trials and awaken the hero within yourself so that you could wield that supreme power. And so Hylia...I mean...and so I...I knew that if it meant saving Zelda, you would throw yourself headfirst into any danger, without even a moment's doubt..."

"Zeld?"

"I...I used you." She sobs, resuming her trudge away from him.

"I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for pulling you into all of this, Link. But you have to understand this is a war, and the fate of the land hangs in the balance. I need your strength to tip the scales in our favor..."

"Zelda, you don't need to-"

"While that may be well intentioned and true, it doesn't mean it's right... And it doesn't excuse my actions."

"Zel-"

"But I'm prepared to pay the price for what I've done."

"No-"

"To ensure that the seal holds, I will remain here, in this time...deep in sleep for thousands of years."

She turns to face him once more, exposing her tear stained face.

Link gasps, no words able to express his feelings at that moment.

"Link, I can't say it enough. I'm so sorry for the way I had to involve you in this. But until my memory of things before our lifetime returned to me, I had no idea we were fated to carry such a heavy destiny. Before all this, I was happy just spending my days hanging around with you in Skyloft. I wanted that feeling to last..."

"Zelda-"

"Forever."

She began to flow in an orange light, Link ran toward her as fast as he could. A shell formed around her, and he began punching it, trying to reunite himself with Zelda.

"ZELDA! NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!!!" He screams, and although tears continue to stream down her face, she keeps speaking calmly.

"While it's true that I'm Hylia reborn, I'm still my father's daughter and your friend..."

"No,nononono...no..."

"I'm still your Zelda."

"Zeld..."

"When Demise is finally gone, there will be no more need for the seal that bind him, and then I'll be able to wake up."

"Zelda..."

"So I'm going to ask you a favor, Sleepyhead. Ever since we were kids, I'd always be the one to wake you up when you slept in. But this time..."

"No...no...no..."

"When all of this is over, will you come to wake me up?"

"...I-I promise..."

She smiled at him, then a light emerged, blinding him.

When it cleared, he stared at Zelda, entrapped in a chrysalis.

And he cried.

Eventually, he turned away and started down the stairs, her words echoing in his head.

"When all of this is over, will you come to wake me up?"

 _A legend of reunions._

The chrysalis pulses as he walks towards it, and slowly begins to crack. Then it bursts, leaving the figure in white in midair.

She floats to the ground gracefully, eyes still closed. Slowly and carefully, she raises her head, absorbing the world around her. Unsteady feet take steps towards him, but all of a sudden, her eyes roll back into her head, and she begins to fall.

Link rushes forward wordlessly, catching her in his arms. He kneels on the ground, her head on his shoulder, until she comes to.

Her eyes open again and she smiles up at him lazily.

"Good morning...Link..."

She stands up, and together they walk, hand-in-hand.

 _A legend of beginnings._

They stand on top of the goddess statue, Link calmly playing the Ballad of the Goddess, Triforce leisurely floating above them. Zelda waved to Groose and his buddies, who were ascending back to the sky. They watched until the birds faded from view, then Zelda turned to Link.

"Look around us! As a child, I always dreamed of a world below. I wanted to see the surface with my own eyes and feel the land's warm breeze on my skin. I...I think I want to live here. I always want to feel solid ground beneath my feet, see the clouds above my head, and watch over the Triforce."

She paused, pondering something.

"...What about you, Link? What will you do now?"

His smile was answer enough.

 _This is The Legend of Zelda._


	2. Wind Waker

_This is a legend._

"Big BROTHER!!!!"

 _A legend of growth._

"Big brother, wake UP!"

"...Aryll???"

The boy wakes up with a start as he realizes that seagulls are pecking his head.

"Whaduyawant?!" He bursts, flailing around until they disperse.

"Awww, why'd you have to go and scare off the seagulls???" She pouts, then looks at him quizzically.

"Have you forgotten?"

"Forgotten what?"

"...are you still asleep?" Aryll's pigtails bob up and down as she jumps excitedly. "TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!"

"Wait...it is!" Link realizes, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Yeah! Grandma wants to see you, so you should go see her! I bet she has a present!!!"

Link's grandmother did have a present, but he wasn't sure whether he liked it or not.

The green tunic was itchy and hot in the island weather.

"I know it's a little hot, but it makes you look so grown up, Link!"

Not to mention the hat.

It looked like a windsock!

"Um...yeah. Thanks, Grandma."

Link was 99 percent sure that he would be best off just taking off the stupid hero's outfit and going back to sleep.

Not a bad way to spend a birthday, in his opinion.

Sadly for him, not much sleep would come to him on that birthday.

 _A legend of tricks._

"Hey, don't worry, I'm sure we can get you over there!" The pirate girl says.

"Really?" The boy in the green tunic brightens.

"Heh...of course..." Tetra giggles, and Link's not sure how to feel about the strange smirk on her face, so he just goes with it.

What a mistake that was.

Link suddenly finds himself being shoved into a barrel.

"W-what are you DOING?!" He sputters at Tetra, who looks on proudly as her shipmates squeeze him into the cask.

"Hey, stop complaining! You wanna get to your sister, we'll get you to your sister!"

"But this isn't what I MEANT!!!"

"Oh? Well..." Tetra smiles maliciously, "too late to back out now!"

"No it's not!"

"Unless...are you afraid?"

(She knew exactly how to trap boys of his age).

"Wha-no."

"Are you suuuuuure?"

"Yes."

"Sure you're sure?"

"Yes!"

"Sure you're sure you're sure?"

"YES!!!"

"So you're totally ok with it if we shoot you into the Forsaken Fortress inside a barrel."

"Umm..." Well...he was stuck now.

"Ah, alright...load 'em up boys!"

"Wait-no!"

"What's that? Are you sure you're not scared?"

"Of course I'm not!!!"

And that's how he ended up getting shot out of a cannon, in a barrel, into the Forsaken Fortress.

And utterly failing.

 _A legend of presence._

After he had climbed the Forsaken Fortress, all the way to the top...

Aryll was almost in his grasp...

It was all for nothing.

He had messed up.

A bird crashed down from the sky and snatched him up in its talons.

Presently, he's being presented to an ominous figure, surrounded by shadows.

The man has red hair, a dash of color in the otherwise black wardrobe.

He smirks, then throws a hand out in a shooing motion.

The bird caws in acknowledgement, then slowly turns its head, gathering momentum, then letting go. Link finds himself crashing through clouds...

And then there's darkness.

 _A legend of adventure._

Link closes his eyes, listening to the air whoosh past him, feeling the sea spray on his skin.

Then he opens them, and sees the great blue ocean all around him and the King of Red Lions, flowing all the way to the horizon, where it meets the rosy sky, awash with color as the sun sets.

As he looks onto the horizon, he sees the silhouette of an island, and checking his sea chart, he realizes he hasn't been there before.

Grinning to himself, he calls out to the King of Red Lions, and despite the boat's protests, the pair sails towards the small mass of land.

They're visiting that island, even if it's in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by sharks.

 _A legend of change._

Link and Tetra stand before the King of Red Lions...no...the King of Hyrule.

And he's telling them that they're standing in Hyrule.

The Hyrule.

They stare at him in awe and uncertainty.

"Tetra. Come to me."

Tetra looks as terrified as Link's ever seen her, but she steps forward.

The king reaches his hand towards her, and from around her neck, an object begins to glow.

"Wha-"

"That necklace was given to you by your mother, who told you to keep it safe at all costs, correct? Well, it is the Triforce of Wisdom. And you, dear..."

The king pulls a small golden triangle from his pocket.

It immediately floats towards Tetra's necklace...and hooks into it, perfectly.

A flash of light appears, then it's all silent.

In front of Link, Tetra no longer stands.

She has a pink dress on, long blond hair, and a crown.

"You are Princess Zelda, heir to the Hyrulean throne."

"Wha-what? I'm a...princess?" Tetra-no, Zelda-utters.

She's dumbstruck, hardly managing a word.

When he goes to leave, she calls him back.

"L-Link...I don't know how to say this...but everything that happened to you and your sister has been my fault. I'm...sorry."

"Hey. It's ok. No biggie!" Link waves, turning and walking out of the chamber.

"Link..." She mumbles, a little envious of the adventures he's about to have, "be careful..."

 _A legend of fun._

As they're walking through the temple, Medli on Link's shoulders, Medli gets bored.

Link's preoccupied with the redeads popping out of every corner, but Medli is bored enough that she decides to sing.

"Can you hear? A song is born? It's the ballad of the storm...let us stay outside, nature plays tonight...we want wind, we want clouds, we want thunder roaring loud, let us play the song, of storms..."

"Medli? What're you-"

"Feel the rain, feel the snow, feel the wind it's mighty blow...dancing in the cold, ancient storm of old...let the wind, blow away, all our troubles melt with day, these notes will control, nature's storm..."

"Hey, Medli! What'cha doin' up there?" Link asks, halfheartedly cutting down another redead.

"...I'm singing..." she bashfully whispers, as if she wasn't just doing it in his presence.

"So...what's that song?"

"Oh, just one I've heard a couple of times."

"From who?"

"Just...around. I dunno...I just liked how it sounded."

"Oh. Ok."

They lapse into silence, then she begins her song again. This time, Link begins bobbing with the beat of the song.

"Play the notes, loud and strong, rain is hiding in the song...lightning strikes the ground, rain falls all around...play the song, you will see, it's a cursed melody, and the storm will come, to you..."

"Medli?"

"Yes, Link?"

"Do you wanna race?"

"Um...what?"

"Like...through the temple?"

"Um...ok?"

Link sets her down, then they both run off, into a dungeon full of terrifying monsters, though neither one seems to care.

Though Link can't seem to get a certain song out of his head.

(A-down-up, A-down-up...

Doodadoo, doodadoo, dodadodadodadoo...)

As he was running after Medli, he realized his tunic was covered in small water droplets.

Almost as if...

It had rained.

 _A legend of memory._

The King of Red Lions, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, is gone. He's only memory, a whisper in the breath of the wind.

The boat remains, but it is a hollow shell-a ghost of its former glory.

It no longer responds to his questions, nor gives him advice in his times of doubt.

He's sailed a few times since Hyrule drowned, but always, he's been agitated by the lack of company.

But Link knows that he still seeks adventure.

Even with a gaping hole in his heart, he knows this is what the king would have wanted.

"I have scattered the seeds of the future..."

So Link will go. He will leave the comforts of Outset Island again in search of more.

He isn't sure what he'd find...but he knows he wanted to find it.

Whatever it is.

 _A legend of contention._

"Hey...so would you want to...come sailing with us?" Tetra asks in an uncharacteristically meek voice.

As soon as Hyrule was buried, the princess vanished, and Tetra's dress and attitude returned.

He hasn't asked her about it...

"Hey...are you even LISTENING?!"

Because he's thinking he might like the pirate more than the princess.

"Well excuuuuuse me, princess."

Her face grows red.

"Don't call me that..."

"Yeah, I'll come with you guys." He shoots, taking her off guard.

"Wait...you will?!"

"Yeah! Oh course! Adventure's calling me!!!"

"Umm...ok...well, we're glad to have you, swabbie!"

"Don't call me that!" He cries in an exaggerated squeak.

"Stooooop..." She grumbles, pouting. "Anyway, we're leaving tomorrow morning, so you better be ready. Say goodbye to your Grandma and stuff, cause it might be awhile till we're back."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

 _A legend of horizons._

Setting sail in the Boat of Red Lions (as he's decided to call the husk of a king), Link looks back towards his home.

The island and its few residents, waving back at him, similarly to how they waved him off his first time leaving Outset.

This time, he knows he's destined for greater things. There's new things to discover on the horizon, and he, a pirate crew, and a forgotten princess are sailing straight towards the future.

The King scattered the seeds of the future, and Link's going to help them grow.

 _This is The Legend of Zelda._


	3. Legend of Zelda

_This is a legend_.

 _A legend of terrors._

He hardly remembers the first time Ganon affected his life.

He was less than half-a-decade, and his whole family; mother, father, sister, brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles...

They were all...erased.

 _A legend of destruction._

The princess watched her kingdom fall into ruin.

She did all she could after her father passed, but she was still a child, still young and powerless against the evils of the world.

Evils such as Ganon.

He tore through the kingdom, legions of monsters, and the little girl was nearly crushed by his very presence.

She could do nothing.

And so she ran.

 _A legend of chance._

She took the sacred treasure, the most valued one in the kingdom, and she shattered it.

She ran from land to land, through desert and forest, with only Impa as her companion.

Everywhere she visited, she hid a broken shard of the Triforce.

Then she told Impa to find hope.

To find hope for her kingdom.

Ganon was relentless, and eventually, his forces captured the little princess.

But Impa was well on her way to finding a chance for Hyrule.

 _A legend of fate._

The old woman approached him.

He was hopeless. He was alone.

There was nothing left for him.

He avoided looking at her.

She didn't back down.

The boy finally lifted his head, met her eyes.

And Impa knew that he was the one. He was the one who was destined to save Hyrule.

"Your name, child?" She prodded.

He glared at her in suspicion, not sure how trustworthy she was.

"I won't hurt you, boy. I just need to know your name."

The boy heard the honesty in her voice, the sheer plea for help.

The woman was lost and alone, just as he was.

"My name is Link." He said, green tunic shining against the sun.

"Very well, Link...will you help me defeat Ganon, dearest child?"

 _A legend of dangers._

Link had hardly started, and he was lost and confused. Impa was old and frail, and she was on the run from Ganon's monsters.

So he was alone. And already confused.

Suddenly, he spotted a cave.

And not knowing what else to do, he entered.

The cave was dark, lit only by two torches on either wall. The light glinted eerily off a sword sitting in a pedestal in the center of the room.

Link approached the sword, when suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a man appeared, with a large bushy beard and red robes.

"It's dangerous to go alone. Take this." He bellowed, motioning to the sword.

Link hunched over the pedestal, yanking out the blade, a simple wooden one.

He looked back up to thank the old man.

But the cave was empty.

 _A legend of exploration._

He journeyed throughout Hyrule, battling monsters, collecting the pieces of the Triforce.

No one knew where all the pieces of the Triforce were except for Zelda, and she was in captivity of Ganon.

So he was on his own.

Across deserts, forests, mountains.

He collected many tools, gained plenty of experience, and ventured the land.

He became more than just another boy, Link became a hero.

 _A legend of power._

Ganon was the most terrifying creature Link has ever come across; large, grotesque, and radiating an aura of evil.

He was powerful; in magic and strength.

His trident slammed into the ground hard enough to cause tremors.

His magic fire hot enough to sear Link to a crisp.

But the hero held his magic sword high, slashed with all his might, and brought Ganon to his knees.

As the great and powerful beast cowered at the feet of the boy-turned-man, Link brandished his bow, and nocked the sacred light arrow.

He aimed.

And released.

Ganon's howls were heard all throughout the land.

 _A legend of unity._

The princess sat in her cell, wondering about the fate of her kingdom.

Yet slowly, the door opened.

And in walked a boy clad in green.

"Um, hi?" He said, pulling shards of...something out of his bag.

Wait...the Triforce?

The hero fitted together the shards until the sacred triangle began to glow with power.

"Are you...did Impa send you?"

She stuttered.

"Y-yeah."

"Your name is?"

"Link."

Zelda slowly smiled.

"Thank you, Link. You are the hero of Hyrule."

 _This is The Legend of Zelda._


	4. Breath of the Wild

_This is a legend._

 _A legend of failure._

Link bowed to his princess, and she looked down upon him, beginning to utter blessings to him.

"Hero of Hyrule, chosen by the sword that seals the darkness... You have shown unflinching bravery and skill in the face of darkness and adversity."

Her words are correct, but she doesn't sound encouraging, in fact, she sounds the opposite. She sounds wildly upset.

"And have proven yourself worthy of the blessings of the Goddess Hylia. Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight..."

Link can feel the champion's eyes on him, Mipha and Daruk turning worried gazes on him, Urbosa raising her eyebrows at the princess' attitude, and Revali sighing and looking on with a bored gaze.

"The sacred blade is forever bound to the soul of the hero."

Link heard the words of the champions as the princess continued. They noticed her solemn attitude, saying that this was all a waist of time, that they had already lost, that he was a living reminder of Zelda's own failures.

He himself, felt like a failure.

 _A legend of personality._

Link and the princess walked along the riverside, Link several paces behind her.

"From here, we'll make our way to Goron city." She announces, thoughtfully looking at her Sheikah Slate. "Then we'll need some adjustments on that Divine Beast so Daruk can manage it as easily as possible."

She continues speaking, and they both continue their leisurely pace along the riverside.

Link thinks about Zelda's demeanor now, as opposed to during his knighting ceremony. She seems sad and serious when around him, except for the times when she has a task to complete, especially one having to do with anything scientific. At times like these, she chatters on and on about whatever she's interested in, and her face lights up, green eyes shining with interest.

Link likes her a lot while she's in moods like that.

However, as soon as she remembers the sword he possesses, she puts her solemn face back on.

Zelda stops talking, and turns to face him partially.

"Tell me the truth. How proficient are you wielding that sword on your back? Legend says that an ancient voice resonates inside it. Can you hear it yet..." She pauses, before saying in a slightly condescending tone, "hero?"

She turns around and they resume

walking in silence.

 _A legend of annoyance._

Link rides up to the shrine, recognizing Zelda's long golden hair.

And her face, which is now looking at him in displeasure.

He walks up to her, despite knowing what's coming.

"Princess, your father sent me-"

"I thought I made it clear that I am not in need of an escort."

The hero sighs.

"I know you did, Princess, but the King-"

"It seems I'm the only one with a mind of my own." She puts her hands on her hips, sighing in frustration.

"Princess-"

"I, the person in question, am fine, regardless of the king's orders."

"I know." He says, and she pauses. They frown at each other, then she speaks again.

"Return to the castle. And tell that to my father, please." The princess brushes past him, ignoring his protests.

"Princess, please listen, he knows you're capable, he's just worried about you. Princess?"

She continues walking. He sprints after her.

"Princess. I know you're frustrated, but-"

She lets out a large exhale, then turns around again.

"And stop following me!" She shouts.

"I wish I could." He says.

Her facial expression immediately changes.

"Wh-what?" She sounds hurt.

"Nothing. Go on your way, Princess, I'll be heading back to the castle, I suppose."

"No. Please, come. I'd...I'd hate for your long journey to have been a waste, Hero. Just, keep a respectable distance, please."

"Of course."

 _A legend of rescue._

The princess runs through the sand, boots slipping, sand flying in her eyes, everything sweating. She turns around to glance behind her, and picks up her pace even more.

Then, in front of her, two figures clothed in red appear. Yiga Clan. She stops, turns around, and finds another one behind her.

Backing up, she trips, and falls on the ground. All three Yiga approach, masks looming at her. One raises its blade, and she screams, waiting for her end.

Instead of the blade against her skin, however, she hears a yell from a familiar voice, and sees the Yiga's blade fly out into the desert, its owner slumping to the ground.

In front of her, guarding her against the other clan members, is Link.

She looks at him in wonder, as he glances back at her.

"I trust you're alright, Zelda."

That is the first time he's ever called her by name, instead of by title.

 _A legend of protectiveness._

The princess and her hero sit among a pile of expired enmities, the princess examining a cut on Link's face.

"That cut doesn't look too bad, actually. You're fine, for now. But you know, there's a fine line between courage and recklessness."

"I know, but I defeated them, didn't I, Zelda?" He points out, motioning to the hordes of enemies.

"As brave as you are, that does not make you immortal."

"I know, I know. No need to get so annoyed at me..."

As he jokes, he feels the mood damper. Monster attacks are becoming ever more frequent, and Zelda's powers have yet to show any signs of awakening.

The princess is frustrated and scared.

They all are.

 _A legend of life._

"There's one! Oh, and another!" Zelda announces, pulling out her Sheikah Slate to snap a picture.

They're sitting in the grass, giving their horses a break before they continue on their journey, and Zelda has found something that peaks her interest.

"One what?" Link asks, looking over her shoulder.

She ignores his question, instead snapping a few more pictures.

Then she tells him,

"The flowers we have in Hyrule aren't just beautiful...They're also quite useful as ingredients for a variety of things."

She studies her picture, green eyes lighting up at something that appears in one of the images. She audibly gasps, then a small smile makes its way onto her face. She leans over a blue and white flower, cupping the petals in her hand.

"This one here is called the silent princess. It's a rare, endangered species."

She crouches low to get a good look at the flower, and Link join her, curiously studying both the flower and the girl.

"Despite our efforts, we can't get them to grow domestically yet. The princess can only thrive out here in the wild."

She clutched a hand to her chest, sitting back up.

"All that we can hope...is that the species will be strong enough to prosper, on its own."

Her small smile turns into another excited expression, and she dives back onto the ground, clapping her hands around something.

"Is that what I think it is? Look at this! I can't believe it, but I actually caught one! This delicacy is known to have very, very potent effects under the proper circumstances."

She turns to face him and open up her hands. "Taa-Daa!" In her palm, sits a slimy green toad. It's beady yellow eyes stare up at him, and it lets out a large ribbit.

"Research from the castle shows that ingesting one of these can actually augment certain abilities. We wouldn't be in a controlled environment out here, but with your level of physical fitness...you'd be perfect candidate for the study!" She looks up at him in excitement.

"Zelda, what are you-"

She thrusts her hands towards his mouth, frog and all.

"Go on! Taste it!"

"No, nonono, Zeld-"

"Pleeeease???"

"Well..." He woukd hate to break the excited expression on her face. "Only if you let me cook it first."

"Oh, how cruel! The poor thing! You can't do that!"

"You wanted me to eat it raw, Zelda! Which one's crueler?!"

 _A legend of legacy._

The rain patters around their safe space underneath the tree. Link is tireless in his training, swung the Master Blade this way and that, Zelda watching him intently.

"I doubt this will let up anytime soon..." She ponders.

"Agreed. We'll be here for a while." Link sighs, continuing to swing his sword.

"Your path seems to mirror your father's. You've dedicated yourself to becoming a knight, as well. Your commitment to the training necessary to fulfill your goal is really quite admirable."

Link glances back at her, wondering where she's going with her one-sided conversation.

"I see now why you would be the chosen one."

"I don't think about it that way, Zelda. I just...happened to be in the right place at the right time, and now I've got a destiny that I need to fulfill, and I'm willing to, no matter what."

The princess pauses, contemplating his words.

"What if...one day...you realized you just weren't meant tone a fighter. Yet the only thing people ever said...was that you were born into a family of the royal guard, and so no matter what you thought, you had to become a knight."

"Zelda, is this about-"

"If that was the only thing you were ever told...I wonder then...would you have chosen a different path?"

 _A legend of restrictions._

Link watches his princess, who is hunched over her desk, scribbling down notes and looking through guides and manuals.

Her father doesn't know how much time Zelda spends in her study, and if he did, he most likely wouldn't approve.

"Well, that's enough of that for today, I suppose. Shall we be going, Link?"

"Of course, Zelda."

As they walk back towards Zelda's chambers, they see some Sheikah experimenting with the Guardians. The princess watches in reverie.

"Incredible...we're at a point now where we can actually control them. At the current rate, we'll soon know all we need to know about the Guardians and the Divine Beasts! And should Ganon ever show itself again, we'll be well positioned to defend ourselves." She smiles at Link, eyes lighting up in her now familiar excited expression.

"What are you doing out here, Zelda?"

And then the smile faded.

Zelda turned to face the king, and Link dropped to his knees in a bow, head facing the ground.

"I...I was assessing the results of the experiments with the Guardians. These pieces of ancient technology could be quite useful against the-"

"I know that." The king interrupts. "They are essential to Hyrule's future, and our research demands that we keep a close eye on them. However, as princess you currently have a crucial unfulfilled responsibility to your kingdom."

Zelda looks like she might cry, and Link is highly tempted to comfort her, though the possibility of the king's wrath stops him.

"Let me ask you once more...when will you stop treating this as some sort of childish game?"

Link could punch him.

"I'm doing everything I can. I'll have you know that I just recently returned from the Spring of Courage where I offered every ounce of my prayers to the Goddess-"

"And now you are here wasting your time. You need to be dedicating every moment you have to your training. You must be single minded in unlocking the power that will seal Calamity Ganon away."

"I already am."

Zelda speaks the truth.

"Don't you see-there's nothing more I can do! My hope is...my hope is that you-that you'll allow me to contribute here in whatever way I can."

Link already knows the answer to that request.

"No more excuses, Zelda! Stop running away from your duty. As the king, I forbid you to have anything to do with these machines from this moment on, and command you to focus on your training."

Link's eyes widen. Zelda's not going to be happy with that order.

"Do you know how the gossip monger refer to you? They are out there at this moment whispering amongst themselves… That you are the heir to a throne of nothing...nothing but failure. It is woven into your destiny that you prove them wrong. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I understand."

As her father walks away, Zelda turns to Link.

"We'd best be going to the Spring of Power now, Link."

"Of course Zelda. But if I may...do you remember that flower you showed me?"

"The silent princess?"

"Yes. It only thrives out in the wild, and refuses to be grown domestically. I believe...I believe that you are like that too, Zelda. You're not meant for this destiny."

She looks at him carefully.

"Thank you for saying that, Link. Your words are always helpful."

 _A legend of desperation._

Link stands at the entrance to the spring, listening to his princess say her prayers to the goddess.

"Father has told me time and time again... He always says, 'quit wasting your time playing at being a scholar!'"

Her voice grows teary, and Link turns around to watch her.

"Curse you!" She spits, slamming her hands into the water she's waist-deep in. "I've spent everyday of my life dedicated to praying!"

She has. Link has watched her sacrifice herself for her kingdom, sacrificing her hobbies, passions, relaxing times...even her self-confidence, all for the purpose of awakening her power. And she's never felt anything, any inkling that it all mattered even the slightest bit.

"Please just tell me...what is it...?"

She breaks down into tears.

"What's wrong with me?!"

Link jumps into the water of the spring and puts a hand on her shoulder before she can continue to berate herself.

"Zelda. You've done enough. We'd best be going."

She wordlessly turns around and stuffs her face into his shoulder, sobbing into it.

She really is trapped.

A bird in a cage.

A silent princess being forced to grow domestically.

 _A legend of potential._

The soft clomping of their horses' hooves along the ground and Zelda's lighthearted chitchat are a nice change of pace from disappointment after disappointment. Link's happy to have Zelda acting like her excited self again, as she talks about her horse.

They stop for a break, and the solemn Zelda comes back.

She points out a mountain in the distance, called Mount Lanayru.

"Lanayru's decree is very specific." She says. "It says, 'no one is allowed under the age of seventeen...for only the wise are permitted a place upon the mountain.'"

She prayed at the Springs of Courage and Power, but it was all futile. Like Zelda, Link can only hope that Wisdom will awaken something in her.

"There's always the chance that the next moment will change everything." She says. "Tomorrow... is my seventeenth birthday. So then I shall go, and make my way up the mountain."

Link wishes she could do something enjoyable on her birthday, but the princess won't be swayed.

 _A legend of threats._

Link and Zelda walk back towards the gate of Mount Lanayru, where the champions await them. They inquire about the results, and Zelda replies with nothing but a shake of the head.

A heavy silence settles over them, before Urbosa breaks it.

"Let's move on. You've done all you could. Feeling sorry for yourself won't be of any help. After all, it's not like your last shot was up there on Mount Lanayru. Anything could finally spark the power to seal Ganon away. We just have to keep looking for that...thing."

"That's kind of you. Thank you." Zelda mumbles, voice riddled with sadness.

Mipha interjects, to everyone's surprise, offering to tell what she thinks about when healing.

However, a loud rumble in the ground interrupts her.

Revali flies up to see what the disturbance is, and reports it to them.

Calamity Ganon is here.

"Let's stop wasting time." Daruk says, the first to recover from shock. "We're gonna need everything we got to take that thing down! Now Champions! To your Divine Beasts! Show that swirling swine who's boss! Link will need to meet Ganon head on when we attack! This needs to be a unified assault! Little guy!" He turns to Link. "You get to Hyrule Castle. You can count on us for support. But it's up to you to pound Ganon into oblivion!"

Urbosa approaches Zelda, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Come. We should go. We need to get you someplace safe."

Zelda frowns.

"No. I am not a child anymore! I may not be much use on the battlefield...but there must...there must be something I can do to help!"

All the Champions look at each other, trying to think of a response for the princess. Link speaks.

"Fine. You come with me, Zelda."

 _A legend of defeat._

They're both covered in mud, and rain falls in curtains around them. Link pulls Zelda by the hand, and they run as fast as they can.

She falls, and his grasp fails. She's covered in even more mud than before, and Link turns back to help her up.

"How...how did it come to this? The Divine Beasts...the Guardians... They've all turned against us... It was...Calamity Ganon. It turned them all against us..."

Link crouches down in front of her.

"Zelda..." He whispers.

"And everyone- Mipha, Urbosa, Revali and Daruk...they're all trapped inside those things..."

Tears slip from her eyes, steadily growing heavier. "It's all my fault!" She yells, throwing her face into her hands. "Our only hope for defeating Ganon is lost all because I couldn't harness this cursed power! Everything-everything I've done up until now...it was all for nothing..."

"Zelda, please calm down-"

"So I really am just a failure!" She cries, turning her gaze up to his face.

"All my friends...the entire kingdom...my father most of all...I tried, and I failed them all..."

She gazes straight into his eyes, a smile riddled with sadness crosses her face. She whispers.

"I've left them...all to die." The smile vanishes, and she lets out a gargantuan sob, throwing herself into Link's arms.

He's tempted to tell her everything's ok, that it will be just fine, that they can fix it all.

But he isn't a liar.

"I've got you, Zelda." Is all he can say.

 _A legend of ultimatum._

He's losing blood, he can hardly stand up, and there's far too many guardians to deal with.

They're going to die.

"Link, save yourself! Go! I'll be fine! Don't worry about me! Run!"

"I'm not leaving you, Zelda." He says, managing to stand on two unsteady feet.

A guardian comes towards them, it's eyes lighting up.

They're going to die.

"NO!!!" Zelda screams, shoving him out of the way, and outstretching her hand. A blinding light appears, then the Guardian collapses.

Link feels lightheaded. He himself collapses.

"No, no..." He hears. "Link! Get up!"

Zelda lifts his body off the ground.

"You're going to be just fine..."

His vision fades, all will and ability to live diminished.

"Zel-da." He manages.

And everything goes black.

 _A legend of rebirth._

"Open your eyes..."

"Open your eyes."

"Open your eyes. Wake up, Link."

"Link...you are the light-our light-that must shine upon Hyrule once again. Now go..."

 _This is The Legend of Zelda._


End file.
